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Livingston Taylor: 

Livingston Taylor picked up his first guitar at the age of 13, which began a more than 50-year career that has encompassed performance, songwriting, and teaching. Born in Boston and raised in North Carolina, Livingston is the fourth child in a very musical family that includes Alex, James, Kate, and Hugh. Livingston recorded his first record at the age of 19 and has continued to create beautifully crafted, introspective,original songs as well as sparkling interpretations of the classic songbook that have earned him enthusiastic listeners worldwide.

From top 40 hits “Carolina Day,” “Get out of Bed,” “I Will Be in Love with You” and “I’ll Come Running,” to “I Can Dream of You” and “Boatman,”( the last two recorded by his brother James), Livingston’s creative output has continued unabated. His musical knowledge has inspired a varied repertoire, and he is equally at home with a range of musical genres—folk, pop, gospel, jazz. You can also find Livingston performing with a full symphony orchestra.

Livingston has never stopped performing since his early coffeehouse days, touring with major artists such as Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac, Jimmy Buffett, and Jethro Tull. He maintains a busy concert schedule, touring both nationally and internationally. Livingston is a natural performer, peppering his shows with personal stories, anecdotes and ineffable warmth that connect him to his fans. His relaxed on-stage presence belies the depth of his musical knowledge, and fans might just as often be treated to a classic Gershwin or a favorite from a Broadway musical.

Chicago Farmer:

When taking on the moniker Chicago Farmer, singer-songwriter Cody
Diekhoff aimed to not only showcase the dichotomy of his life and travels —
growing up in the tiny Illinois farm community of Delavan, and calling “The
Windy City” home for several years — he also wanted to honor his past
through his uplifting, introspective melodies.

“My hometown kind of goes with me wherever I go,” Diekhoff says. “All the
things I learned from my grandparents, I take that with me wherever I go.
They’re always in my heart and in my mind.”

Which is why Diekhoff’s latest offering, Homeaid, puts a spotlight on the old
soul nature and deep ethos of compassion and camaraderie that resides at the
core of his being. A blend of Americana, indie-folk and roots-rock, the album
swirls effortlessly into the ether of a modern world facing uncertain times.

“If anything, I want my music to be genuine and authentic,” Diekhoff says. “My
grandfather was a storyteller. He was a veteran, a family farmer, and he just
collected stories. Hearing him tell all these stories definitely transferred over
into my storytelling that’s in my music.”

Meandering through Homeaid, there are odes to teenage transgressions in the
name of irresponsible enlightenment (“Tina Hart’s Mustang”), odes to the
splendor and tragedy of growing older (“Sorry You’re Sick”), odes to nothing
and everything (“Mattress”) — the cultivation of which being Diekhoff and his
curious life, one remaining in perpetual motion, onstage and on the road.
“People come to watch it run when the sun went down/To raise a glass as it
passed and hoist up the crown,” Diekhoff howls into the heavens. “Yeah, Tina
Hart’s Mustang was the fastest car around.”
With Homeaid, it’s this true sense of self that’s felt when it comes to those
cherished faces and vivid moments from your own past. Images, sounds, and
feelings conjured with ease, usually while cruising down some backcountry
road, windows rolled down, the sunshine of another bountiful day slowly
falling below the horizon, the unknown night quickly emerging — this
crossroads of sheer gratitude and endless inspiration.

“This is who I am now,” Diekhoff says of Chicago Farmer. “I represent both of
these places, and I take a lot of pride in ownership of the name now.”